Israel's Man-Made Atrocity Famine in Gaza

If nothing is done, conditions will continue to deteriorate and the famine will spread.

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the global body responsible for assessing famine conditions, famine has been confirmed in Gaza:

As of 15 August 2025, Famine (IPC Phase 5)—with reasonable evidence—is confirmed in Gaza Governorate. After 22 months of relentless conflict, over half a million people in the Gaza Strip are facing catastrophic conditions characterised by starvation, destitution and death. Another 1.07 million people (54 percent) are in Emergency (IPC Phase 4), and 396,000 people (20 percent) are in Crisis (IPC Phase 3).

The IPC has been sounding the alarm on Gaza for more than a year and a half that this was going to happen. Unfortunately, those warnings were largely ignored by the outside world and dismissed by the Israeli government. Gaza is the arguably the most clear-cut case of man-made famine in recent decades. The global response to this obvious starvation crime has mostly been to shrug and let it unfold. It is only now as we witness the full horror of a man-made famine that some governments are belatedly condemning what has been happening for almost two years.

It is important to understand that there were famine-like conditions in Gaza well before a formal declaration could be made. Once a famine has been declared, it is already too late for many of the starving to be saved. To wait for a formal declaration before taking action to stop people from starving to death is to wait far too long. The right time to act was over a year and a half ago. There is still time to halt and reverse the famine, but it will require an immediate end to the war and a massive relief effort to follow.

The report focuses on conditions in central Gaza. Conditions elsewhere in Gaza are probably worse. As The Wall Street Journal reported, “It said that conditions in areas north of Gaza City were likely as severe, if not worse, than in the city, but that the data is insufficient to make a conclusive famine assessment there.” That means that the famine is likely already worse than we realize.

To continue lying that there is no famine and no starvation, as the Israeli government has been doing, is particularly loathsome. Netanyahu has no credibility when he denies the report’s findings, and as the chief perpetrator of the man-made famine he has every incentive to reject the evidence of his crimes. The prime minister’s denials ring hollow.

If nothing is done, conditions will continue to deteriorate and the famine will spread. According to the IPC, more than 640,000 people will be living in famine conditions by the end of next month. The new Israeli offensive in Gaza City will likely accelerate the process. The Washington Post quoted from the IPC report:

“As this Famine is entirely man-made, it can be halted and reversed,” the report said. “The time for debate and hesitation has passed, starvation is present and is rapidly spreading. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that an immediate, at-scale response is needed.” Without swift action, including a ceasefire, “avoidable deaths will increase exponentially,” it warned.

The Israeli government’s deliberate policy of starvation created these conditions. It is within their power to prevent further hunger and loss of life, but it is obvious that Netanyahu won’t lift a finger unless he is forced to do so. Netanyahu is choosing to starve Gaza. That is why the International Criminal Court prosecutor was right to issue a warrant for Netanyahu and Gallant on war crimes charges.

The International Court of Justice ordered the Israeli government to take action to prevent famine in Gaza in March 2024. The ICJ noted that “famine is already setting in,” and that was seventeen months ago. Since then, the government has made sure to intensify the starvation and suffering of the population. Had they wished to avert famine in Gaza, they could have easily done so as the occupying power. Instead they chose to cause the latest atrocity famine.

The U.S. shares in the Israeli govermment’s starvation crimes. Our government has enabled their war effort without interruption and it has done nothing to stop the policy of deliberate starvation. When the U.S. has made some token effort to deliver more aid, it has always taken the form of insulting and dangerous stunts. The Biden administration’s useless pier was one such example, and the lethal air drops that have probably killed more people than they have fed are another. The U.S. could use its leverage to stop the starvation and slaughter in Gaza, but under both Biden and Trump no one at the top of our government has any desire to stop it.

What makes the world’s failure to prevent this famine so unforgivable is that it was the most easily foreseen and predicted famine in modern history. When a population of two million is trapped in a prison and then placed under siege, mass starvation is certain. It was also obvious from the outset that the Israeli government intended to punish the entire population by using starvation as a weapon. Top government officials told us as much when the war began. This is one of the clearest indications of the government’s genocidal intent, and everything that their government has done since then confirms it.